N.Y. State Senate OKs bills targeting mass-transit crimes

The New York State Senate approved two bills this week that are aimed at improving the safety of riders using public transportation.

S. 3203 would make it a crime for a person to rub sexual or intimate body parts on another person on public transportation. The bill would classify such behavior as a Class A misdemeanor, and where forcible touching is coupled with an emission of certain bodily fluids, the offense would be a Class E felony.

The bill was sent to the New York Assembly, where Aravella Simotas (D-Dist. 36) is the sponsor.

The state Senate also voted to support S. 5194, a bill that would require the New York City Police Department to submit an annual report to the city council that would describe the total number of criminal complaints and arrests that occur on subway lines and bus routes. The report would be categorized by type of crime for violent felony offenses and include all routes operated by the New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Staten Island Rapid Transit Operating Authority.

Both bills were introduced by Sen. Martin Golden (R-Dist. 22), a member of the Metropolitan Transit Authority Capital Review Board and a former New York City Police Officer.